This plant-based diet was developed by professional triathlete Brendan Brazier. It eschews processed and animal-based foods and emphasizes nutrient-dense, mostly raw foods. There's a 12-week meal plan for folks who prefer to adhere to one in the book that he published in 2007 (see Resources section below). However, if you don't like to do this--and Brazier says he doesn't--then don't worry. The concept really is about making a lifestyle change and choosing nutrient-rich, easily digested foods that boost energy and health.
Step 1
Start slow and ease into the diet. If you eat lots of refined food and drink coffee regularly it will take longer to change your habits. Be aware that you may have cleansing and withdrawal symptoms.
Step 2
Make high net-gain foods your central focus when you plan meals. These foods are efficiently digested and their nutrients efficiently assimilated. This concept replaces calorie counting in the plan. The plan requires eating whole, usually raw, foods instead of processed, refined, sugary or starchy foods.
Step 3
Plan to eat, by volume, about 45 percent fibrous vegetables including leafy greens, and 20 percent legumes, seeds and pseudograins such as quinoa and wild rice. You'll also consume 20 percent fruit, 10 percent nuts, avocado and cold-pressed oils and 5 percent whole grains and starchy vegetables.
Step 4
Eat small meals throughout the day. This improves the rate that nutrients are absorbed because they're spread throughout the day and digestive strain is minimized.
Step 5
Make one meal an energy bar. Brazier makes a big energy bar batch about every four months in a food processor--no cooking required--and freezes it. Combine foods such as dates, hemp protein, flax, blueberries, almonds, lemon juice and a touch of sea salt.
Step 6
Make another of your daily meals a smoothie. Incorporate green, leafy vegetables into your smoothies.
Step 7
Eat a big salad topped with dressing with from cold-pressed oils each night. Brazier recommends combining 8 parts hemp oil, one part flaxseed oil and one part pumpkin oil.
Step 8
Time what you eat around exercise. You'll need easily digestible food immediately before and within 45 minutes workouts. You'll need protein to rebuild muscles for a later post-workout meal.
Step 9
Eat your plant-based foods raw or cook them at low temperatures, not above 118 degrees Fahrenheit so that enzymes are preserved.
Step 10
Choose alkaline-forming foods that balance the body's pH, or potential of hydrogen and limit acid-forming ones. Alkaline forming foods help reduce inflammation, increase muscle functionality and improve endurance. Aim to keep the body's pH at 7.35, on a scale of pH1-the most acidic-to pH14-the most alkaline. Some foods, including citrus fruit and apple cider vinegar, are acidic before you eat them but alkalizing once digested. Some of the best alkaline-forming choices include asparagus, beets, bell peppers, broccoli, green beans, cucumbers, sea vegetables, zucchini, citrus fruit, melons, mango, papaya, yerba mate tea, gingerroot, and green tea.
Step 11
Cut out the worst acid-forming foods. These include pasta, breakfast cereals, sugar, candy, coffee, milk, cream, cheese, butter, white rice and refined flour.
Step 12
Reduce stress. This is actually a major component of the Thrive diet because stress fatigues the body, hampers the way it functions and contributes to many health problems, including obesity, digestive issues, sleep problems. Treating the symptoms-such as adding in coffee and sleeping pills-further deplete the body, so you need to get to the root of the stressors instead.
Tips and Warnings
- Use organic foods whenever possible. When not buying organic, shop farmers markets, as most farmers markets have organic products but simply cannot afford certification. Make sure you stay well hydrated. This won't necessarily mean downing large amounts of water because many of the foods you'll eat, such as most fruits and vegetables, have high water content.
References
- "Thrive The Vegan Nutrition Guide;" Brendan Brazier; 2007
- Brendan Brazier
- Diets In Review
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